1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an emergency exit door that is activated by an emergency detection system. The door provides a ready route from a room in a building such as a residential house or apartment to the outside without crawling through the burning building to locate an exit door. The door also offers ready access to individual rooms in a house or apartment if doorways and halls are blocked by fire and smoke. Preferably the emergency exit door is connected to an alarm system that can be programmed to automatically alert the fire department when a fire is detected.
2. Brief Description of the Related Art
Emergency situations involving fire can create panic and confusion. Individuals in a burning building, particularly young children and the elderly, quickly become disoriented and can become lost inside a smoked filled room, particulary at night when the room is dark. Additionally, both adults and children can become trapped in smoke filled rooms where doors are too hot or too difficult to open. Individuals are often trapped in rooms a great distance from an exit, making it difficult for rescue personnel to reach them.
Fire alarms are helpful in alerting individuals to emergency situations such, as fire, but can add to the confusion during an escape. Exit doors that trigger alarms as someone exits the building are known in the art. Signs or markers position to direct individuals towards an exit route are also known. However, such devices are rarely, if ever, used in residential homes.
Typically residential homes rely on small, battery powered smoke detectors to alert individuals in the homes of the presence of smoke and fire. These detectors only provide an alarm. Individuals are left to respond to the emergency signals and locate a safe exit route from an unsafe house, apartment or other building. Exit routes through residential buildings often require individuals to move significant distances through dark, smoke-filled rooms and hallways to reach exit doors or to breakout glass in bedroom windows, risking dangerous cuts and other injuries. People often become disoriented or confused when responding to emergency alarms, particularly when the emergency situation occurs at night, when people are sleeping.
During a fire, doors along an escape route may be blocked by burning material or debris from the fire so that the doors cannot be opened. Additionally, opening doors to escape hallways where a fire is burning can cause the fire to spread to other areas of the building and can trap those trying to escape. Broken glass makes exiting through windows dangerous. Thus, there is a need for an economical, efficient emergency exit door adapted for residential use, particular for residential dwellings such as single family houses, townhouses and apartments. The present invention provides an escape door designed for residential use that aids the occupants of the dwelling in finding a safe, close exit from a burning building.
The invention of the present application provides an emergency exit system for residential dwellings which can detect emergency situations in a building, alert people in the dwelling of the emergency and automatically open a safe escape door. The emergency exit unit includes alarm circuitry in communication with one or more emergency detection sensors, and an escape door. The door is preferably pivotally mounted on a frame so that it can open to the outside. Optionally the door can open into the room in which it is located. The escape door is equipped with locking mechanism that is automatically unlocked in response to a signal indicating the presence of a fire, smoke or other dangerous situation, such as the presence of elevated levels of carbon monoxide. The alarm signal may be broadcast through one or more speakers mounted in the door itself, in the frame surrounding the door, or in a sensor mount away from the unit, but being in communication with the unit to provide an alarm to alert the occupants of the building to the presence of unsafe or dangerous conditions in the building. One or more lights, which are controlled by the alarm circuitry may also be incorporated into the system to provide illumination to direct individuals, particularly small children to the escape door.
In a preferred embodiment, the emergency exit device includes an escape door that can be installed in a wall. Preferably, the escape door structure is located in an exterior wall, at or just above floor level. By installing the escape door near the floor level, individuals can see and access the door while crawling on the floor thereby minimizing the inhalation of smoke. Installation of the exit door in an exterior wall provides a direct exit route to the outside of the building.
The lights and speakers of the emergency detection and alert system are preferably incorporated into the escape door structure. The lights are preferably housed in the door frame or door so that during an emergency an individual can see the escape door easily. The speakers are preferably housed in the door frame or door as well, so that an alarm sounding from the speakers will direct individuals to the escape door.
Preferably, the emergency detection sensors detect smoke, carbon monoxide and/or fire. The emergency detection sensors are preferably located at some location above the escape door structure, and are in communication with the alarm circuitry and the escape door structure. Smoke and heat rise and can therefore generally be detected sooner at a location above the escape door structure.
In a preferred method of operation, the emergency detection sensors detect the presence of smoke, carbon monoxide or fire. The detection sensors preferably communicate with the alarm circuitry, and consequently with the speakers, the lights, and the locking and unlocking mechanism of the escape door structure. Preferably, the speakers sound an alarm, the lights are illuminated, and the escape door is unlocked simultaneously. The automatic opening mechanism of the escape door structure preferably acts to open the escape door automatically, creating a safe escape exit.
Additionally, the emergency exit device can preferably be equipped with other features including, but not limited to, a power supply, an escape rope or ladder, a manual unlocking and opening mechanism, an automated dialing feature to contact emergency personnel, and fabricated interior and exterior surfaces to resemble the wall surfaces. Emergency exit devices can preferably be installed in various locations in a building and be in communication with one another. Multiple emergency exit devices can preferably be monitored or controlled at a central location by the use of a key pad.
The features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent in view of the figures and the detailed description which follow.